Hammond, Maggie 1883-1976

HAMMOND, GREBNER

Posted By: Plymouth County Coordinator (email)
Date: 11/29/2003 at 20:21:17

MAGGIE HAMMOND, MERRILL NEWS WRITER FOR SENTINEL,
GOOD NEIGHBOR DEAD AT 93

Mrs. Fred (Maggie) Hammond, 93, one of Merrill's oldest and most active
residents, died Sunday (Aug. 1, 1976) at Sioux City St. Joseph Mercy
hospital of injuries received in a fall at her home Sunday afternoon, July
11.

She had remained in good health until her fall having recovered from a
broken hip in January 1975. She underwent surgery for a blood clot on the
brain after the July 11 fall and had never regained consciousness.

Maggie was loved and respected by everyone who knew her. She enjoyed
doing for other people and until her last days she had continued to do for
others and write her weekly Merrill Sentinel news.

Funeral services will be held at 1:30 p.m. Wednesday at the First United
Methodist Church in Merrill with Rev. Eugene J. Berreth officiating.

Burial will be in Merrill Hillside cemetery under direction of the
Luken-Johnson funeral home. Mrs. Hammond's funeral is the first to be held in the new
Merrill United Methodist church.

Survivors are two sons, Arnold of Sioux City and Earl of Seal Beach,
Calif.; four grandchildren; three great-grandchildren and a sister, Lizzie Tindall
of Akron.

Maggie at 93 was Merrill's third oldest resident and only one other person
has resided in Merrill longer than she has. Maggie moved to Merrill in
1906 at age 23, and in 1972 she was Merrill's Centennial Celebration Queen.

She is one of the few remaining persons to have been baptized by a Methodist
circuit rider. Baptized Maggie Grebner in a one room school house in
1884, a year after her birth Jan. 7, 1883, in Johnson township, Plymouth county,
she was the eldest child of the late J.G. and Hattie (Wise) Grebner.

Maggie Grebner and Fred Hammond were married June 27, 1906, in Johnson
township. After their marriage, the Hammonds lived at Merrill. Maggie
attended the LeMars Normal School (now Westmar College) and later taught
country school for six years.

Mr. Hammond, a lifelong Merrill resident, was a carpenter-contractor and
operated the Merrill lumber yard for 32 years. He died in March 1968.

Maggie had been a LeMars Daily Sentinel correspondent for 33 years, having
started in 1942 during World War 2 when the paper was published by the
late James Gillespie.

She continued until her death as a faithful reporter, carefully recording happenings at Merrill.
In addition to her newspaper correspondent chores, Maggie was very active
and helpful to her many Merrill neighbors and friends.

Each morning she left her 8-room, two story home where she lived alone to
begin what folks called "her morning mail route." She would deliver to
elderly and shut-ins their mail and run errands for them.

Maggie was very active around her home and maintained a flower garden from
which she supplied and arranged flowers for the morning worship service at
the Methodist church. Until the last year she froze fruits and vegetables
and made jelly and jam.

Maggie was very active in club work. Her church work was always very
important to her. She served as Sunday school superintendent for 26 years
and for many years was Sunday school secretary and treasurer. She had
been communion steward since 1937. At the time of her death she was chairman of
the church historian committee.

Maggie was a charter member of the Merrill Women's Study club founded in
1919, a member of the Tuesday club of Merrill, and LeMars senior citizen's
groups and the Plymouth County Old Settlers and Historical Society.

She held a gold lifetime service pin from the Women's Society of Christian
Service (WSCS) of which she was a member for 64 years. She continued to
be an active member of the United Methodist Women and took an active part in
their programs.

Maggie was Merrill Red Cross chairman during several wars and for many
years was a member of the county Red Cross. She served as president of the
Plymouth county PTA for six years and was appointed secretary of Goodwill
Industries in 1924, having served longer than any other secretary.

In 1964 and 1965 she broadcast the Merrill news over radio station KLEM.
She enjoyed reading and watching television.

Plymouth Obituaries maintained by Linda Ziemann.
WebBBS 4.33 Genealogy Modification Package by WebJourneymen